Fast Enough
by rocketfire1999
Summary: His fingers were stained with red and he couldn't get it off. It was as though the crimson marks would be there forever, reminding him of what had happened. - Whump, and lots of it. character death.


**I haven't done any Wally Whump yet.**

**More bashing, less romance. And a one shot because I suck at long stories.**

**Please R&R (it'll help me dish out even MORE bashing-people-up stories. I've done a Roy on drugs, a few Artemis get bashed, one of Dick drowning, Connor having a 'close friend' - no spoilers - die... So basically it's Megan, Kaldur, and Zatanna because I guess she's part of the team now)**

His fingers were stained with red and he couldn't get it off. It was as though the crimson marks would be there forever, reminding him of what had happened.

He ran his hands through his thick orange hair, touching his face where his mask used to be. Now, it was all scratches and deep purple bruises. The pain was evident, but he knew he was better off than his friends.

"Artemis" he croaked, heaving himself off the ground. His back felt like it was on fire and his head felt like it was full of cotton wool. The world was spinning and his mind screamed for him to lie back down in the shallow mud.

He tumbled his way over to the blonde's body, tripping and falling in the short distance. Every step he made was endless pain, but falling was worse.

His leg had started to speed heal, and he hadn't had a chance to push it back into place. He would have to re-break it... if he made it through this alive.

He fell to his swollen knees over the girl, running his stained fingers through her hair that was thick with dried blood. Her chest had long ago stopped rising and falling, but inside there was a glisten of hope that maybe, just maybe, he could save her.

But her pulse wasn't even faint - it was nonexistent. He dropped her wrist to the ground and crawled away. He couldn't look at her. With the sudden movement, her eyes opened, piercing Wally with those orbs of green that had glazed over. Her jaw was slack, at an odd angle, as if she was trying to say something, killed mid sentence. The wound in her chest had caused blood to splatter everywhere, except her face -but the bullet in her forehead and taken care of that.

Most would have died instantly. But no, for Artemis it had been long and painful. How long had they been lying there? Kaldur had died at least three hours ago. And then they had fought for a while, but they were too distracted by the Atlantean's lifeless body, just laying there in the middle of the battlefield. Wally went down first, and that made his heart pang. Maybe if he had just dodged the bullet, moved a tiny bit faster... Artemis had gone down with a stab to the chest, shot in the head only seconds after. He wished she had died instantly. She had to have been lying there, engulfed in pain for an hour and a half.

Wally wanted to take note of the day she had died, in case he did make it out of here alive, but he had lost count of the date when the invaders had first arrived. It was hard to believe it had only been three days.

Three days to wipe out the Justice League.

Three days to place all the responsibility on Young Justice.

Three days to make Connor and Zatanna MIA.

Three days to lose track of M'gann and Dick.

Three days to kill two of Wally's best friends.

It hurt, it really did, more than the pain that shot up and down his spine. More than his leg that had frozen, stuck in such an awkward angle. More than his crushed nose and the scratches and bruises. More than the bullets, more than the daggers.

He curled up in a ball and cried, because he didn't know what else to do.

There was nothing left.

He knew it, too.

All his family would have been wiped out in the explosion. Wally could just see them sitting calmly at the table, then dead, just like that. Or maybe they knew. Wally had known.

He didn't make it back in time to save them.

Maybe they had just been hugging for their last few seconds, knowing they weren't fast enough to get out of the city, knowing they weren't as fast as Wally.

But Wally wasn't fast enough. Wally wasn't fast enough to save Artemis, or Kaldur. Or Barry or his Mum. Or his Dad, or Aunt Iris. Or Central City.

So many deaths on his hands.

If the aliens took what they needed, drained the world of the supplies they had wanted - what then? Was there any body left? Maybe it was just one other person. Then it would be him and some person who had hidden in a bomb shelter, the last two humans left.

Maybe it would be him and his old teacher, Mrs Tann, forced to live with each other. Or maybe it would be someone from the other side of the world, and Australian maybe, who had been in his or her basement when they had come for Melbourne. Or Canberra or Sydney or whatever. He didn't know.

He didn't know anything.

All he knew was the fact that Kaldur'ahm and Artemis were dead and that he wasn't fast enough. Those were his only things that stood clear in this... This... War. Destruction. Apocalypse.

In the distance, there were gunshots.

Explosions.

Screams.

Wally put his hands on his ears and rocked, despite the pain, sobbing silently.

For once, he wanted it too all slow down, and stop. Just, please...

Stop.

But first... There was something he had to do.

He backed away further from Artemis' lifeless body, heading towards Kaldur. His leaders face was not completely destroyed, but it was wrong - his nose had shifted and his cheek looked like it had been swiped at. Almost as though the sixteen year old was once a perfect model of plasticine, and someone had come along and rubbed at his face.

Blood leaked from his gills. He obviously had internal bleeding, but the body was not as gory as Artemis'. It looked as though Kaldur was just having a nap... in a puddle of blood. It was better to start with Kal.

Despite protests - in the form of scorching pain - from his arms and hands, he began to pick up small mounds of dirt, placing them over the chest of the Atlantean.

It was slow work, but soon there was a pile of dirt on his body. His arms screamed for him to stop but he continued until the leader's body was covered. At least Wally wouldn't have to look at him anymore.

He made his way back to Artemis.

Shaking, he picked up a pile of dirt, but it seeped through his fingers. This made him cry again, because he was so hopeless.

"I'm so sorry Arty," he muttered, trying again to pick up the mud, "I should of... I should have saved you... Both of you"

He sniffed, silent tears rolling down his face. Pick up, drop. Pick up, drop. His hands were turning brown, but it was better than red. Pick up, drop.

"And we shouldn't have split up. That was my idea. That was my plan. This is my fault. I'm sorry you had to... Die. I'm sorry you had to die because I'm an idiot and I couldn't save you. I'm sorry... That my super speed wasn't enough. I didn't run hard enough, Arty. If I had you would be making fun of me right now"

Wally used a finger to close the blonde's eyes, hiding away the emeralds that looked at him with pleading and mercy. He moved her jaw, shut her mouth. Words that had never been said were silenced.

He poured dirt over what had been such a pretty, pretty face, but now was a mess of blood and flesh.

Her head was covered.

Wally moved away because there was blood coming through the dirt and it scared him.

Then, he lay down, putting his face into the mud. And he cried.

...

He must have drifted in and out of consciousness, because he could only remember waking up at intervals and crying. How many times had it happened?

He long had he just been lying there?

He was ready to die, ready to give up when he saw the figure on the horizon. It took a long long time for the shadow to make it across the barren land. It was probably an alien to come back to make sure the heroes were dead.

But when Wally saw the face, saw the shredded costume, he wanted to squeal. Not with joy, but maybe because he wasn't the only one left. He tried to get up, but he fell back onto his chest, his arms too weak to take any strain. When the the figure made out who was lying down, he began to run, but it was more of a hobble.

When the figure finally reached him, Wally burst into tears.

Dried blood leaked from his lower lip, and scratches and bruises covered him, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered to Wally at the moment.

Dick fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around the older boy, tears streaming down his face. Dick ignored the two mounds of dirt around Wally - he knew what had happened without asking. He just squeezed Wally harder and cried until there were no more tears.

Then, he helped Wally to his feet.

Wally placed an arm around his best friends neck, as Dick began to ease the two back towards the horizon.

"I'm sorry Wally" Dick whispered as they walked.

"No," Wally corrected hoarsely. He didn't know what the future held when they made it over the horizon. He didn't know if there were more battles, more fights. He didn't know if he could ever make it over the horizon. But he knew his choices would haunt him forever. He limped along, his face twisted in agony. And all he could do was apologize.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough"

**I FORGOT TO SAY thank you, thank you, thank you to youngjusticefanatic for beta-ing this for me. Insert 'go read all of their stories right now' here.**

**Please R and R**


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